Ants adjust their social interactions to accommodate changes in population density, according to researchers at Penn State and Georgetown University. The findings suggest that ant colonies are capable of maintaining their ...
Plants & Animals
Jun 12, 2019
0
64
Colonies of social insects are capable of self-organizing and accomplishing complex tasks through individual interactions. For example, to march across large gaps, ants grip the bodies of each other, forming a living bridge ...
Nanomaterials
May 17, 2019
0
1926
Almost 100 million years ago, a tiny and misfortunate beetle died after wandering into a sticky glob of resin leaking from a tree in a region near present-day Southeast Asia. Fossilized in amber, this beetle eventually made ...
Plants & Animals
Apr 17, 2019
1
115
In most colonies, ants work in service of a single reproductive queen, but that's not always the way ant societies function.
Plants & Animals
Apr 15, 2019
0
19
The neurobiology of turtle ants differs significantly according to their specialized role within the colony, according to a study published March 27, 2019 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Darcy Greer Gordon from Boston ...
Plants & Animals
Mar 27, 2019
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14
Tropical fire ants (Solenopsis geminata), originally from central and South America, are a highly aggressive, invasive ecological pest. Our new research has shed light on how they successfully establish new colonies.
Plants & Animals
Mar 22, 2019
0
6
Ants' frenzied movements may seem aimless and erratic to a casual observer, but closer study reveals that an ant colony's collective behavior can help it thrive in a harsh environment and may also yield inspiration for robotic ...
Plants & Animals
Feb 18, 2019
1
40
When a pathogen enters their colony, ants change their behavior to avoid the outbreak of disease. In this way, they protect the queen, brood and young workers from becoming ill. These results, from a study carried out in ...
Plants & Animals
Nov 22, 2018
0
353
The invasive African big-headed ant (Pheidole megacephala) was found on Lord Howe Island in 2003 following complaints from residents about large numbers of ants in buildings.
Plants & Animals
Nov 7, 2018
0
15
Think of it as mathematics with a bite: Researchers at CU Boulder have uncovered the statistical rules that govern how gigantic colonies of fire ants form bridges, ladders and floating rafts.
Plants & Animals
Nov 5, 2018
0
110
